Combination-cart.



O. & M. HELGESON.

COMBINATION CART. 7 APPLICATION FILED r213. 12, 1908.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

O. & M. HELGESON. COMBINATION CART.

APPLIOATION FILED H23. 12, 1908.

909,297. Patented Jan. 12. 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

0. & M. HELGESON.

COMBINATION CART.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1908.

9092971 Patented Jan. 12. I909.

3 SHEETS-*SHEET 3.

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T @ETQE.

OLAUS HELGESON AND MARTIN HELGESON, OF MADELIA, MINNESOTA.

COMBINATION-CART.

Specification of Letters Patent.

?atented Jan. 12, 1909.

Application filed. February 12, 1908. Serial No. 415,496.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OLAUs HELeEsoN and MARTIN HELeEsoN, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Madelia, in the county of Watonwan, State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCombination-Carts; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

Our invention relates to combination carts, especially to generalutility carts for use on the farm, and particularly to a cart adapted toserve interchangeably as a feed dump cart, a barrel cart, and a reelcarrier.

The invention as hereafter more fully described, and as particularly setout in the claims, will be readily understood from the accompanyingdrawings illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof, in which drawin s:

%igure 1 is a view of the cart frame equipped with a caster wheel; Fig.2 is a similar View, the caster wheel removed and its bearing supportconstituting a rigid leg; Fig. 3 represents the device as a barrel cart,in the act of lifting a barrel; Fig. 4 is a similar view with the barrelelevated; Fig. 5 is a detail of the barrel clamp; Fig. 6 shows thedevice as a feed cart; Fig. 7 illustrates its conversion into a reelcarrier; and Fig. 8 shows disassociated details of the reel carrier.

As illustrated, the cart frame comprises horizontal members 1 connectedby a cross bar 2, serving as a handle, and by a second cross bar 3, thehorizontal members being rigidly secured to vertical members 4 which maybe of wood or of metal, as shown. The vertical members at their lowerend are socured to the extremities of a yoke 5 having laterallyextending spindles 6, upon which the wheels 7 are mounted. Upon theyoke, at its central portion, is pivoted the reach 8, having at itsextremity a thimble 9, serving as a bearing for the spindle 10 of thecaster wheel 11. Braces 12 are pivoted at one end to the horizontalmembers of the cart frame in their medial portion, and bolted at theother end to the reach near the thimble. A second pair of braces 13 arepivoted at one end to the yoke 5 and at the other end bolted to thereach at a point near its pivotal connection with said yoke. By thesebraces the reach is held rigidly in a horizontal position beneath andparallel to the horizontal members of the cart frame, the wholeconstituting a rigid skeleton cart with a caster wheel adapting the sameto be propelled either forwardly or backwardly with equal facility. i

If it is desirable to have the cart provided with a rigid leg instead ofa caster wheel, this is readily attained by removing the spindle 10 ofthe caster wheel from the thimble 9 and then disconnecting the members12 and 13 from the reach, dropping the reach to a vertical position withthe thimble resting upon the ground as a foot, and transposing the pointof connection between the braces and reach, 01. 6. connecting the braces12 with the upper portion of the reach near the yoke 5, and braces 13with the lower end of the reach near the thimble 9. Thus, the cart frameis readily converted from that type of cart shown in Fig. 1, to thatshown in Fig. 2.

Upon the vertical members of the frame at a point slightly above theaxle bearings, are provided ears 14 to receive the trunnions of a barrelor of a feed box as may be desired. In order to secure additionalrigidity, when so used, the cart may be further provided with diagonalbraces 15, extending from the lower portion of the vertical members tothe horizontal members, the acute angle formed between these members andthe vertical members in the horizontal plane of the ears 14 being filledby blocks 16.

To adapt an ordinary barrel to be lifted and carried by this cart frame,we provide a pair of blocks 17 having laterally extending pintles 18which form trunnions. These )locks are arranged to be suspended byhooked straps 19 from the upper edge of the barrel and upon oppositesides thereof. Pivoted to the sides of the blocks and connecting thesame are bails 20 together embracing a larger area than the crosssectional area of the barrel 21 in the plane of the suspended trunnionsso that their intermediate portions drop by gravity to a position belowthe trunnions.

When it is desired to lift a barrel so equipped, the handle of the cartis raised as shown in Fig. 3, and the ears 14 brought beneath thetrunnions 18 when the handle is lowered as shown in Fig. 4 and thebarrel elevated upon the ears, the barrel being firmly held frictionallyby the bails 20 which occupy positions on the opposite sides of saidbarrel below its greatest diameter. So held, the barrel can be easilytransported to any point and. then deposited by reversing the operation,the cart being equally well adapted to the purpose, whether providedwith or without the caster wheel, the use or non-use of said wheel beingcontrolled by other circumstances.

As a feed cart, a feed box 22 having preferably a sloping front edge23,. is fitted upon its bottom and at each side with a rod 24;projecting sufficiently from the sides to form trunnions 25 arranged tobe engaged by the ears 14, as described with reference to the barreltrunnions, and elevated in a similar manner. With the trunnions restingin the ears 14, the box is adapted to swing to a horizontal positionbetween the side members 1 of the cart frame. Lips 26 formed upon theupper rear edge of the box contact with the cross bar 3 and prevent therear edge of the box from dropping to a lower position, while a button27 is pivoted upon the cross bar and arranged to be turned above therear edge of the box to prevent its being accidentally raised, thusholding the same securely as shown in full lines in Fig. 6, while thebox may be readily dumped by releasing this button, as shown in dottedlines in said figure.

The side members 1 are provided in their upper edge at a point beyondthe cross bar 3 with notches 28 forming bearings for the trunnions orspindles 29 of a reel 30 of wire, rope, or the like 31. Above thenotches are arranged keepers 32 suitably secured at one end to the sidemembers, as by a hinge, and at the other end rovided with a set screw orsimilar device 33 y which they may be drawn downwardly upon the reelspindles with such degree of force as may be desired to obtain a brakingefiect. The reel would ordinarily be povided with a crank 34 for turningthe same.

hen the cart is to be used as a reel carrier, guide rollers, are foundto be advantageous and provision is made for the same by horizontalextension members 35 bolted at their inner ends to the blocks 16 or toany other suitable ortion of the cart frame. The outer en s of thesemembers are preferably provided in their upper faces with holes servingas bearings for the spindles at the lower ends of the vertical rolls 36and metal straps 37 secured at the lower ends to the extension members,are inwardly turned at their upper ends and perforated to form bearingsfor the spindles at the upper ends of the rolls 36, whereby said rollsare supported for rotation in a vertical position. 'I he outer ends ofthe extension members are provided with perforated studs in which arejournaled the spindles at each end of the horizontal roll 38, the wireor rope 31 being guided to and from the reel by a single horizontal andthe two vertical rolls.

It will thus be readily seen that the combination cart forming thesubject of this inventi'on, is adapted to be readily transformed into afeed or barrel cart or a reel carrier; also, into a cart having a rigidleg, or provided with a caster wheel, thereby conferring upon thepossessor all the advantages possessed by each of such carts with theexpense of but one, and that one, adapted to all circumstances which mayarise. 1

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new anddesire to secure by LettersPatent is:

1. In a cart, the combination, with the axle and the two main wheels, ofa member arranged to form interchangeably a third point of support and abearing for a caster wheel.

2. In a cart, the combination with the main axle, and its supportingwheels, of a reach extending horizontally as a bearing for a casterwheel and arranged to be turned into i1. vertical position to form arigid supporting 3. In a cart, the combination with the main axle, andits supporting wheels, of a reach pivoted to the axle, and bracesarranged to fix the reach interchangeably in a horizontal and verticalposition to serve as a bearing for a caster wheel and as a rigid leg.

4. In a cart, the combination with the main axle, and its supportingwheels, of a reach pivoted at one end to the axle and having at itsopposite end a bearing for a caster wheel, a brace pivoted at one end tothe axle, a second brace pivoted at one end to the cart frame, and meansto secure the free ends of the braces interchangeably to the reach at apoint near the two ends thereof, whereby the reach is rigidly held atwill in a horizontal position as a bearing for a caster wheel and in avertical position as a leg.

5. In a cart, the combination, with the main axle, of su porting wheels,a frame carried by the axle raving upwardly turned ears and providedwith notches in the upper faces of its side members, and a memberarranged to interchangeably form a third point of rigid su port and abearing for a caster wheel, the ears and notches constituting bearingsadapted to receive load receptacles and support the same in a positionbetween 115 the side members.

6. The combination with a load receptacle of nonuniform diameter, a pairof trunnions arranged on each side of the receptacle near the centralportion thereof, and two bails 120 connecting t e trunnions and hangingthere'- from on each side of the receptacle below its larger diameter,of means to lift the trunnions and support the load receptacle by thefrictional engagementof the bails with the 125 receptacle sides.

7. The combination, with a barrel, a pair of trunnions, means to suspendthe trunnions on each side of the barrel near the central portionthereof, and two bails connecting the 130 trunnions and hangingtherefrom on each side of the barrel below its largest diameter, ofmeans to lift the trunnions and elevate the barrel by frictionalengagement of the bails with the barrel sides.

8. In a cart, the combination, with the main axle, supporting wheels, aframe, and upwardly turned ears carried by the frame, of a barrel, apair of trunnions, means to suspend the trunnions on each side of thebarrel near the central portion thereof, two bails connecting thetrunnions and hanging therefrom on each side of the barrel below itslargest diameter, the trunnions arranged to enter the ears and supportthe barrel by frictignal engagement of the bails with the barrel s1 es.

9. In a cart, the combination, with the main axle, su porting wheels, aframe carried by the ax e and comprising vertical and horizontal sidemembers, ears carried by the vertical members, a cross bar connectingthe horizontal members, and means forming a third oint of support forthe cart frame, of a barre having laterally extending trunnions looselysuspended from the rim thereof, bails connected with the trunnions andhanging on each side of the barrel below its largest diameter, thetrunnions arranged to enter the ears and the barrel thus carriedoccupying a position between the side members of the cart.

10. In a cart, the combination, with the main axle, of supportingwheels, a frame comprising vertical and horizontal side members, thevertical members provided with upturned ears and the horizontal memberswith notches in their upper faces, a cross bar connecting the horizontalmembers, a reach pivoted at one end to the axle and provided at itsopposite end with a thimble bearin for a caster wheel, and bracesarranged to the reach interchangeably in a horizontal position to carrya caster wheel and in a vertical position to serve as a leg, the earsand notches constituting bearings arranged to receive load receptaclesand support the same in a position between the side members.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aflix our signatures in the presence oftwo witnesses.

OLAUS HELGESON. MARTIN HELGESON.

Witnesses:

A. F. MEYER, O. S. DAHL.

